Guinness Stout - Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Ale
Ales are darker, full bodied beers. These beers can contain anything from fruity, floral flavors to more earthen flavors (like grass), because of the temperature the beer is fermented at. The different flavors produced depend on the different types of yeast used in the brewing process. Characteristically, ales will to be darker in color , cloudy in terms of liquid clarity and will contain more flavors than lagers (of course there are exceptions to all these rules). Some beer styles that fall under the ale family, besides all of the styles that end with the word ale, include wheat beer, porter and stout. Ales are meant to be consumed at around room temperature in order for all of the flavors and aromas to be experienced.
The three beers below fall into three of the different types of ale - (from left to right) Amber Ale - Stout - Pale Ale
Lager
The Lager style of beer is the domestic and worlds most popular as lagers top most sales lists of the beer drinking countries around the world. These types of beers include brands such as Budweiser and Coors here in the USA, Heineken in the Netherlands, Corona in Mexico and Fosters in Australia (just to name a few). Lagers are characterized by their smooth, mild, crisp taste and lighter body - which many beer drinkers (just look at top 10 selling beer lists here and around the world) find very enjoyable. Most brewers suggest that lagers be consumed refrigerated in order to keep the crisp, clean characteristics of the beer.
